Minister Ross welcomes €338m funding for National Roads

Minister Ross welcomes €338m funding for National Roads
The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross TD, welcomed today’s confirmation from Transport Infrastructure Ireland that, as a result of funding he secured in Budget 2019, it has approved national road schemes to a value of €338m. This will enable some of the key projects listed in the Capital Plan to now advance to construction phase such as Ballyvourney to Macroom and Westport to Turlough. The €338m includes for €319m for improvement works, and nearly €18m in maintenance. This is the first tranche of funding allocated by TII.

Welcoming the funding Minister Ross said: “I very much welcome the grants announced today to Local Authorities for our national roads. This funding goes towards developing and maintaining vital national road infrastructure for safe and effective travel throughout the country. Whether in cities or on rural roads, good maintenance and road infrastructure is key to optimising safety, as well as ensuring that motorists get from A to B as comfortably and efficiently as possible. This funding will greatly assist Local Authorities in delivering on this. In addition it will strength connectivity between the regions which is crucial in the context of Brexit and assist in the delivery of our commitments in the National Development Plan.”

Michael Nolan CEO Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) stated: “This funding is an important investment toward the development and maintenance of national road infrastructure which will allow for road users to travel safely and efficiently throughout the country.”